Apple iWatch could be closer to reality than we think

Numbers hint that Apple watch is not just a pet project

Shares

Phones, tablets and timekeepers

Reports of an Apple iWatch are mounting quickly, and a report from today will throw more fuel on the timekeeper fire.

According to sources speaking with Bloomberg, a team of about 100 product designers are tinkering away on an Apple "watch-like device" that possibly performs some of the computing tasks currently undertaken by the iPhone and iPad.

Two Apple employees in particular - James Foster, senior director of engineering, and Achim Pantfoerder, a program manager - are said to be part of the efforts, while other managers, marketing group members and software and hardware engineers who worked previously on Apple's phones and tablets are reportedly involved.

The team has grown over the last year, the sources said, and its size suggests the watch is "beyond the experiment phase in its development."

Wrist backup

Bloomberg described the device as a "wristwatch-style computer" and suggested that CEO Tim Cook is under pressure from investors to introduce something revolutionary and not merely evolutionary while rivals like Samsung gain greater traction.

A report from over the weekend suggested the Apple watch would include Siri and Maps to offer features like walking directions, two iServices iOS users currently enjoy.

That report centered around a distinct curvature for the glass, but there's no mention of that design element in Bloomberg's story.

The publication's squeaky sources divulged that Apple has worked on wearable devices with an eye on fitness before, but none of those devices have made it to market. That's something we would have noticed, no doubt.